Monday’s release of the song “Kush,” brought a bit of a renewed anticipation to Dr. Dre’s Detox album, after a year filled with false starts. The single, which features Snoop Dogg, Akon and an artist Slim Da Mobsta confirmed to DubCNN.com as Chief Thuderbird or Sly, almost met the same fate as “Under Pressure.” During an interview with Big Boy of Power 106, Dre said the song was also an unauthorized leak, but it will be a keeper nonetheless.

“It got leaked, and it was a version of it that I wasn’t really happy about,” Dre explained. “But we’re gonna go ahead and push it and put it out, since everybody seems to like it. It’s about weed smoking, and I didn’t want people to think that’s what my album was about. This is actually the only type of song with that type of content on it.”

In addition to pushing his line of Beats headphones—which Advertising Age just named one of America’s Hottest Brands—Dre said he was looking forward to more collaborations with Snoop as well as meeting and working with fellow Compton native Kendrick Lamar. All of the progress has apparently sped up Dre’s usually methodical recording process.

“I see the finish line right now,” Dre added.  “I’m wrapping it up. I need about two or three more songs, and hopefully I’ll start the mixing process at the end of next month. From that point I’m about 30 days out. One of the reasons it was taking so long was because I felt like I was doing it more out of obligation as opposed to actually feeling it.” (November 16)

UPDATE: A spokesperson for Interscope Records and Dr. Dre just gave word that “Kush” will be made available on iTunes tomorrow, mentioning that Detox is presently planned for “early 2011.”